A beautiful sight

In my life, I've been blessed to see several breathtaking sunsets over crashing ocean waves, or been on a peak tall enough to see lush forests and vast fields far into the distance. I've had the opportunity to swim through crystal clear glacier lakes amidst snowpeaked mountain tops, and to hike my way through magnificent scenery. There is a part of me that will always see, hear and feel God best when I'm able to enjoy His incredible creation. Last night, however, God allowed me to see another beautiful scene that I far too often take for granted. As Jim and I were putting Kylee to bed, I glanced at the clock to see how late it was getting and felt the need to hurry with the bedtime routine so that Jim and I could get the house cleaned and get ourselves to bed. But when I looked back in their direction, I was taken aback. It is a scene that God allows me to see every night, but somehow tonight it struck me - this too was part of God's incredible creation!! Kylee was laying on her pillow, with Jim leaning over her. Her small, soft hands cupped his jawline as they giggled and talked about the day, exchanging nose kisses and tickles. "I love you 21 times, Daddy! Do you love me?" she asks with sparkling eyes and wide smiles. What a precious picture to behold - the love between my daughter and her Daddy, my husband and his little girl. I suddenly wanted to pause time and let the moment last forever. Yes, this too was one of the most beautiful visions that God has allowed me to lay my eyes upon.





(these pictures were taken the next night, when I was ready, this time, with my camera)

I keep falling in love with him...

Maybe it's the way 60 giggling kids run after him in the gym, thinking he's the best "Simon Says" leader there is. Or maybe the respect I gain when I see him organize and entertain his table of 7 restless 3-year-olds, all the while coaching them on their Bible verses. It could also be the way the leader depends upon him to keep the "mischievous" boys in line because he's so good at being firm but loving at the same time. Whatever it is, every time I see my husband across the room full of active, excited 3 and 4 year old AWANA Cubbies I smile and feel the love I have for him well up inside me. I married an amazing man and I feel so blessed that I have someone whom I grow to adore more and more every day. He is someone I can be proud of, someone I can look up to, someone who makes me laugh, someone I can trust and someone who is full of integrity, honesty, loyalty, devotion, commitment and a deep love for God. I praise God for bringing us together and look forward to the many more "AWANA Cubbies" days, and all the others too!

"I don't want to say good-bye!"

Kylee's face was covered in tears as we pulled away from the airport today. We had just dropped Nana (my mom) off after a one and a half week visit and Kylee was not ready to say good-bye. "I don't want to say good-bye!" She continued to sob. "I want Nana to stay with us forever and ever. I can't say good-bye yet, she can't go, I will miss her! She needs to move closer. Why does she have to leave us?" And on and on it went for the first 10 minutes of our ride home. I tried to comfort her, but in all honesty, it caused me great pain to see her hurting so (because of her great love for her family) and I was crying right along with her! Yes, we had a wonderful week with Nana - full of trips to the park, the farm, the library, going swimming, taking bike rides, going out to fun places to eat, and even an hour spent in Kylee's class at school after Nana read to the kids. And she was so helpful around the house - cooking, cleaning, babysitting, doing laundry, etc. Yes, our Nana is very special to all of us indeed. And we are grateful for the time we got to have her here with us. She and Papa will be back for Christmas, so to give Kylee and the boys something to look forward to, we decided to buy sleds on the way home! In doing so, the kids have something tangible to remember that their Nana and Papa are coming back - when it is cold, when there is snow, and when we can all go sledding together!! They are so excited and having sleds to remind them about what is to come helped Kylee recover from her good-bye blues.

Here are some photos of our time with Nana:


Ky and Nana making duck feet in the sand


Ky found a shell

Kaden at the park

Colson running at the park

Nana having fun at Stonefire Pizza

Kylee showing off her face painting

Kaden with his sundae

Colson enjoying his sundae





Playing frisbee golf!

Our family

things I never thought of...

What is a chin for? (Ky)

Did Jesus go potty? (Kade)

Are cars with rust spots sick? (Ky)

When I grow up I think I'll be a tree! (Cole)

Can I ride on a bus with lots of brown kids someday? (Ky)

When birds fly south do they go to Disneyland and drive race cars? (Cole)

Is toilet paper dangerous for my buns? (Kade)

I think Alabama is a nice name- why didn't you name me that? (Ky)

"I need to tell you about Jesus!"

This evening marked a moment that I will remember all my life long. Jim was running errands with Cole and I was organizing Ky's room as she and Kaden played together. Suddenly, Kylee said, "Kaden, I need to read my Bible to you."

"OK," Kaden replied, in his typical manner.

"Do you know Jesus, Kaden?" Kylee asked him, "You need to know Jesus so that you can go to heaven and that's why I need to read my Bible to you!"

"OK, let's read Bible," Kaden agreed.

As my two little ones climbed up on the bed together with Kylee's Bible in hand she continued, "The Bible teaches us about Jesus, Kaden, and that's why He wants us to read it. Do you know He died for your sins? Yes, He did because He loves you and all His little children! See, right here," she said pointing to a picture in her Bible of Jesus surrounded by children, "here's Jesus with all these little children!"

Kylee continued to go through her Bible and show Kaden pictures and tell him stories about the people in them. "Kaden," she said when she was through, "You really need to read the Bible so that you can know Jesus. But you don't have a Bible, so I want to give you my other Bible from when I was a little girl. It is a picture Bible and it's got lots of pictures in it. I want you and Colson to share it, OK?"

"OK, we share the Bible," Kaden said and nodded as Kylee climbed down from the bed, found her pink picture Bible and placed it in Kaden's hands.

"Here you go, brother." Kylee gave her pink baby Bible to Kaden, then took her newer big girl Bible and put it back in her book basket. My mommy's heart is forever touched by my daughter's concern for her unsaved brother. I pray that I can be more like her!!

Trent David has arrived!!

Jim's sister, Julie Keegan, just delivered her firstborn son!! Trent David Keegan arrived at 7:21 pm (Pacific time), weighing 7 lbs 14 oz and measuring 20.5 in. We are so excited for her and sad we can't be there in person!! They have done a great job, however, at keeping us updated throughout the night and day. We will be praying for sleep for her as she labored through the night and all day as well. Congratulations, Julie!

As You Lead

School has started and more than ever I'm feeling the waves of competition. At a recent parent meet and greet for the 4K class, I heard many a parent bragging about their child's accomplishments, stating how "much more" advanced they were, and talking about the many classes and activities they had their child signed up for. Wow, I thought, this is sure a different environment! And I'm not one who likes to play the game of competition. Suddenly, though, in my mind, I began asking myself if my choice to not yet schedule my kids in structured activities was the right one. Will my kids be behind because they haven't started tennis, swimming, golf AND ski lessons by age 3? (Yes, there was one child who was in his 2nd year of doing all the above activities!!) As I was telling Jim about the meet and greet and the conversations that were had, he looked at me and said, ever so gently and strongly, "Terra, our daughter has Jesus in her heart." And, without saying so much in words, he spoke volumes to my heart. Yes, we have consciously decided not to over-schedule our kids in many structured activities. Instead, we have wanted for them a carefree, fun filled childhood where they are enjoying and learning about God's creation and creating friendships. We are teaching obedience, respect for authority, responsibility as well as loving, serving and caring about others. But most importantly, we have tried our very best (with many mistakes, of course) in our actions, words, priorities and choices to exemplify Christ to our children. Above all else, there is nothing more we could aspire for our children than for them to know and love their Creator and Savior. This needs to remain our goal in raising our children, despite what the world aspires to.

As I look forward into the year, I can already see God at work on my heart. I will need to remain focused on Him, on His expectations and standards and remember that His priorities are what matter to our family. Yes, I will be tempted by other families to "keep up", but as He is the Lord of our lives, I must continually look to Him to lead us into every commitment. I pray that I will consistently listen and follow His leading.

Fall Day on the Farm

I thought I was taking photos of our time at the farm, but little did I know that every "photo" (except the last) was actually recording sound! That said, we had a fabulous fall day!! I love this season - it is my favorite of them all and yesterday was the perfect example. The air was fresh, crisp and cool with a slight breeze. There was a golden glow to the sunshine and the trees were just starting to change into their brilliant fall colors. As I walked with the kids in the neighborhood, we decided it was just too perfect a day to hang out around home. I threw chili into the crock pot and we jumped into the car and drove to the closest farm, where we'd picked strawberries earlier in the year. The kids picked out pumpkins and lollipops while I selected deep red mums and a caramel apple. We enjoyed the corn stalk teepee, feeding the goats and shopping for produce in the country market before loading back into the car. I had bought some dried corn stalks for decorating the porch, and it was very interesting getting them into the van with the kids...they were covered in corn stalks! But, in the end, we had a wonderful, adventurous day together full of fresh air and we now have a brightly decorated, festive front porch full of plump pumpkins that the kids endlessly reposition to decorate to their liking. We thank God for all the beauty that He allows us to enjoy!

Memories of Grandma Root

We learned on Sunday that Jim's grandma Root had passed away the night before. We have felt it a blessing that Jim has lived for 32 years with all his grandparents in his life. We also are grateful that even though we are far, we were just able to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Root on our last visit to CA in early May. However, being that Jim has not yet lost someone close to him, I asked him how he was doing. As we cuddled last night in bed, he talked about his memories of his Grandma Root.

*spending the week after Christmas at their home
*building forts with Julie in their living room
*she would let him drive her around with his learner's permit
*the many trips to Furr's cafeteria for dinner(lunch)
*playing card games
*so many art projects Grandma would have for he and Julie to do
*going bowling with Grandma and Grandpa
*she made the best malted milk shakes
*the stuffed snoopy dog that she made him that he slept with throughout his childhood. That same dog has recently resurfaced in my own daughters bedtime routine
*baby blankets she made for grandchildren and great-grandchildren
*he could hardly remember her ever complaining, always content and always welcoming

Just what are my boys up to?

A lot of life lately has been focused on my little girl and the big things going on in her life. But my little boys are still just as precious as ever and they've been hanging out and tagging along and being excited for Kylee as she takes these big steps in her life. We've ventured out and gone grocery shopping, to the library, taken a drive, gone to a friend's house, had friends over and today, they took naps. They were very tired. We were up all night with another ear-infected Colson. Poor little guy could not sleep, was tossing and turning and grabbing his ears saying, "both my ears hurt!" In the end, all 3 Root men ended up sleeping in the boys room as Cole felt very comforted by his Daddy's presence. However, while mommy and daddy were sleeping VERY hard this morning after the sleepless night, the boys, once again, were quite mischievous. After my mind awoke enough to realize the giggles in the bathroom were probably not a good sign, I jumped up, ran to the bathroom and found my little giggling boys unwrapping a brand new roll of toilet paper completely into the toilet. "Flush it, flush it!" Kaden encouraged Cole. "NO-" I started, but I was too late. The handle was pulled and the toilet was very clogged. Jimmy was super-dad, got a bucket and emptied out the toilet bowl into it.

Alright, that's a little snippet into my boys lives. They're crazy but oh so fun. They've adapted well to this much more structured life we're leading since their big sister started school. They are also excited to be starting MOPS with me next week, as well as Honeybees, which is our church's personal addition to the AWANA program for 2-yr-olds. After I adjust to my Kylee going to school, I think it will be a blast to have 1 on 2 time with my twins. They are such sweet boys.

Here's Kaden showing off his knowledge:

Our first movie!!

Jim had a lot of fun putting this together and figuring out this new video program. I love how quickly he learns and I really love the final product! Thank you, Jim, for doing this for me. I love you so much!

(FYI-the video is only 2.5 minutes, even though it continues to play.)

Silly stuff the kids say

Kaden was a bit constipated and as he sat struggling on the toilet he said, "This poopoo is very naughty! It hurt me!"

The kids and I sat on the front porch watching the thunder & lightning storm roll in. Kylee especially loves the bolts of lightning and said, "Jesus! Please give me a big one, OK, Jesus??" Sure enough within a minute of her prayer a huge lightning bolt filled the sky. "Thank you Jesus!! See, Mommy? He did it for me!!"

Kylee was telling me about the kids in her Sunday School class and when she talked about the boys she suddenly said, "But I'm still going to marry Connor!" "What does it mean to you to be married?" I asked her. "To be loved," she then tilted her head and thought for a second, "by a new man." "A new man?" I asked surprised. "Yes, instead of the older man," was her answer. "Who is the older man?" I probed. "He is my Daddy."

We were running errands and I stayed in the car with the kids while Jim ran into one store. "Where my Daddy going?" Cole asked. "He's just running into the store, he'll be back soon!" I answered. "My Daddy not go in the store, I will miss him!"

Papa had arrived in Milwaukee, but his pocket knife had to be left behind in St. Louis. We had to go into the bus station to pick it up after it had been shipped. Once Papa ran into the station, Kylee asked, "Is Papa going to get his sword? Why did they not let him carry his sword on the bus? I hope that I can see his sword!"

Kaden was sitting with me on the couch and I was looking at email. Suddenly there was a side margin that had a lady in a bikini. Kaden remarked, "That lady's not wearing clothes! That lady needs to put a shirt on! That lady need a spank-spank!"

Our friends, the Whilhelms, have generously opened their pool to us many times this summer. We were on the way to their house to swim and Kylee asked out of the blue, "Mommy, how do you say 'Whilhelms' in Spanish?"

Kylee was telling our neighbor girl about her cousins Connor, Logan and Hailey that had recently come out to WI for a visit. Colson piped up and said, "And not forget Travis too. He a very funny guy! Yeah, Travis is a goofy guy!"

A few touching school moments

Today after Kylee's second day of school she said, "See, Mommy? I always come back to you as soon as my school is done!" She used the exact same tone I used when my boys had a hard time with me leaving them in the church nursery. :O)

While we were waiting at school, we overheard a student use the Lord's name in vain. Kylee responded, "We don't say that, Mom, but they don't know better." I was so touched by her sensitive heart. In my own head I responded in a more critical manner wondering how someone could be so insensitive and offensive. But my sweet Ky's response is right on. So many in this world do not know the Truth. And if you don't know Truth, what standard is there to live by? It's certainly unfair to hold unbelievers to the same standard that I would hold myself to, especially when I know the truth and what is expected of me and yet I still fail! So, my 4 year old, once again, humbled me and demonstrated for me what a caring, sensitive heart should look like.

Now that Kylee has asked the Lord into her heart she is very excited and talks about it frequently. When Daddy asked her what she was most excited to learn about at school, she shouted, "Jesus!" At first, I felt as though we might have made the wrong decision by choosing our outstanding public school system for our daughter, instead of a private Christian school. But as I listened to my husband talking with my daughter and hearing her response, my fears subsided. "Kylee, your teachers at this school are not going to teach you about Jesus. They will be teaching you letters, numbers, reading and writing. But you can certainly talk about Jesus as much as you like." Jim explained. "Why don't they teach about Jesus?" Ky asked. "Well, Ky, in this world not everybody knows who Jesus is, maybe even your teachers, but you can always tell others what you know about Jesus." She thought about it and responded, "Can I ask my teachers if they know Jesus?" "Yes, absolutely, and other kids too if you like." Jim replied. "And if they don't know Jesus I can tell them about Him?" she continued to inquire. "Of course, Kylee, that's why we're here, so we can let other people know the good news about Jesus." "OK!" Ky responded enthusiastically. And ever since she's shown much concern for others, including her own brothers, who do not know Jesus.

To my Ky on your first day of school

Well, we survived the first day of school. Kylee - you were so excited! You chose to wear your hair "poofy" with a clip, you wanted pancakes for breakfast and you wore a flare jean skirt with a sparkly butterfly top and flip flops. You made sure Daddy made all the right turns when he drove us all to Brookfield Elementary and you stood proudly in line with the other 4 year olds in Mrs. Pyka's class. I'm sure we made quite the spectacle with our full family of 5 accompanying the entire class inside the school and down the hall to the classroom, all the while videotaping every moment. There was a single moment, Ky, when I thought you might actually think about missing me when you ran out of the class and straight to my arms. But instead, you told me, "I forgot my back pack!" and wiggled the all-pink bag from my hands that I'd not noticed I was still holding. "Of course!" I answered as you turned and ran bravely back into the classroom. I had to fight the tears that were threatening to fall from the pools in my eyes. You acted as though you'd done this all before, hanging your back pack on the hook in your cubby, sitting down at the desk where you quickly found your name and immediately diving into the puzzle they had already set in front of you. How and when did you become so grown up? I kept trying to get your attention and give you a final good-bye, but you were too busy to notice. "Come on, Tee, she's ready for us to go now. You gotta let her go." Your daddy told me as he placed his arm around me and gently nudged me towards the door. I grabbed one of the boys hands and used the other to wipe the tears that had started falling. I don't know why I got as emotional as I did because I am really excited for all the new things you are going to learn, the new friends that you will make and the relationships we'll be able to share with the other families in your school. It helps to know also, that your teacher is amazing and last year taught the students so much that they had to change the 5-year-old-kindergarten curriculum to meet their advanced needs. And I know you're ready. You've been asking to do this for over a year now and the enthusiasm you have is obvious. You didn't want me to teach you in the home and you certainly weren't going to wait until you were 5!! You've been dying to go to school. And now, after your first day, you can't wait to go back and learn more tomorrow. I do look so forward to watching you learn and grow, first in your faith, then in your relationships, skills and education. But you're also my baby girl and no matter how big you get, it will probably always be a bit emotional for me to watch you take such big steps in life. I love you, Ky. I am so very grateful that God gave you to me as my little girl. Congratulations on your first day of school!!

Love,
Mommy

Ready or not...

Wow. The day has come. We just picked out first-day-of-school clothes and set them out for tomorrow, decided what I would make for breakfast in the morning and tucked my little girl into bed. This is the first of many, many school nights. Kylee can't wait - I don't think she'll sleep well tonight due to her excitement. Her mommy, on the other hand, is still filled with trepidation. The time was too short. Have I done well with what little time I was given? Have we played hard enough and laughed wildly enough? Have I told her enough how much I love her? Suddenly, on the eve of her first day of school, all the "should haves" are flowing through my head. I should have been more patient, I should have not become upset at all those little mishaps, I should have spent more time playing rather than trying to get so much done, etc. Oh how I will miss my little girl each and every weekday morning! No more lazy days where we don't get out of jammies until noon. No more grazing through the morning hours until lunch time. No more staying up late with mom and dad because she can "just sleep in tomorrow". We are now entering a new stage of life where we will have to be more scheduled and prepared. We will have time constraints and vacation restrictions. I don't know if I'm ready for all this change yet, but ready or not, here it comes. My little Kylee girl is starting school!!

Kylee's big announcement

Today is a day I'll never forget. I was brushing Kylee's hair and told her it was beautiful. I then asked her what was more important than being beautiful and she answered, "Knowing Jesus! Do you have Him in your heart, Mom?" "Yes, I do, Ky. Do you have Jesus in your heart?" I asked her. "No, not yet." I told her what it meant to me to have Jesus as my Savior and Lord of my life. She then asked me if I would pray with her so she could have Jesus in her heart too. We talked about what that meant to her and she told me that Jesus loved her and died on the cross for her sins and that she loved Him and wanted to obey Him. So, she bowed her head, closed her eyes, folded her hands and followed my lead as she prayed to receive Christ as her Savior. Tears fill my eyes even as I write this. I could want nothing more for my daughter than for her to know and love her Creator and Savior. She came downstairs and announced to her Papa and her Daddy that she asked Jesus in her heart. Daddy knelt to her level and held her, telling her it was the biggest and best decision she would ever make in her life. "I know!" She responded. Later in the day I told her something looked different about her. "Yes, I love Jesus!" She told me exuberantly. We have made a big deal about it all day. Kylee is very excited about her decision and we are excited to have the opportunity to watch her grow in her faith and in the knowledge of her Lord and Savior for all the days of her life.